Runaway
by hufflepuff-ish
Summary: While looking for his best friend, Theo Nott needs to deal with his feelings for her older sister and a very greedy man. [Written for the QFL Competition]


**QFL ROUND FOUR**

Main prompt: (chaser 1) The Greengrass family

Prompts: 3 (word) – rare, 9 (scenario) write about someone winning a large sum of money, 10 (dialogue) ''Do you have a package for me?''

Word count: 2,461

* * *

Walking around Muggle London is one of the weirdest things Theodore Nott has ever done, especially since it's night time and he's alone. He never thought he would be doing it. To be fair, he isn't there willingly. The main reasons for his late night walk are his best friend and the girl he fancies—who happen to be sisters. Astoria and Daphne. When it comes to what exactly brought him here—or more correctly, what made an eighteen year old girl run away from home— he isn't sure. Even though he doesn't know what upset Astoria to the level of doing something as extreme as running away, he still considers her a person he knows very well. It's one of the things that makes him feel responsible for her.

Their friendship only began when she started her first year at Hogwarts a year after he did. She seemed to be the only person he knew from a young age that wasn't part of Draco Malfoy's gang. Since then, she and Theo had grown close. Astoria has become one of the only people who listens to him and understands him.

While he feels that he is obviously standing out in comparison to the Muggles, they pay no special attention to him. He prefers it this way, not wanting to get too involved with them. It isn't because of prejudice—Theo doesn't hold all of the same ideals as his Slytherin classmates—but because he prefers not to draw special attention to himself in general. His plan is to find out the truth, then get back home for a good, long sleep.

It doesn't take him long to find Michael, who knocked on the door to the Greengrass' house yesterday, claiming to have proof of where Astoria is. He is wearing the same outfit he did when Theo first saw him: a flap cap that is losing its color from wear, and a long brown coat that is a size too big, its sleeves covering half of the man's hands. His appearance is what made Theo doubtful of him from the very first moment; however, he wasn't lying about his proof.

When Michael notices the teenager approaching him, he walks towards him and meets him halfway. The man looks nervous, making Theo even more suspicious of him. A feeling in the pit of his stomach simply doesn't let him trust the stranger.

''Do you have a package for me?'' Michael asks, dismissing any form of greeting.

Confused, Theodore frown and asks, ''What bloody package?''

After taking a look around, the man takes a step forward and lowers his voice. ''The money,'' he hisses.

Theo's expression changes into one of realization.

Several days after Astoria disappeared, her parents decided to offer money to anyone who would find their daughter. At first, they only spread the word about it to people from their circle of acquaintances. Then, Rita Skeeter posted a typical scathing article about the Greengrass', not forgetting to mention the money being offered.

A chuckle escapes Theo's lips. ''I have nothing to do with the money and, honestly, unless you find her, I don't think you'll get a single Sickle from them.''

''You saw her in the picture I brought, how is that not enough?'' Michael argues.

Growing tired of the conversation, Theo purses his lips and says, ''Her being in the picture was a coincidence. She was just passing in the background. If it wasn't for that coincidence, you would have had _nothing_. Either way, we're wasting time. Let's go.''

Theo is glad that his words seemed to get through to the man since he keeps his mouth shut and follows through the busy streets, his shoulders slumped and a scowl on his face.

As they walk, Theo constantly looks around, his gaze searching for Astoria. His doubt in Michael makes him fear that the man is taking him to the wrong place. His worst fear is that he'll miss her because of some greedy older man. Theo scans the face of every brunette they pass, searching for his best friend. He searches under every neon sign and in every turn they take. Unfortunately, time seems to prove that his feeling about Michael are right. Theo follows him for a long time, walking in and out of cheap looking clubs, passing between so many crowds that he feels like he is lost in a sea of people. Not only does he feels lost, but the longer they wander, the more he feels like he is losing his chance to find Astoria.

The search makes Theo more confused about why she left. It's rare that she does something this reckless. It doesn't seem like her to simply run away, which is why he wonders if maybe they are wrong after all, that she was somehow taken against her will as a revenge for her family's ties to Death Eaters. The thought chills him to the bone.

''That's it,'' Theo says as Michael leads him to yet another pub. ''We're done.''

Even though his face is only face lit under an old street lamp, Michael's surprise can't be missed. ''We…we can continue another time,'' he suggests.

''No other day, no more opportunities. You obviously have no idea where she is, and you're wasting everyone's time,'' Theo says, his voice rising towards the end. Usually, he doesn't care enough about strangers to be angry with them, but this about Astoria, and he is starting to feel hopeless. Hopeless because his best friend is possibly right under his nose, yet he can't find her. He fears if she isn't found soon, she might never be found.

Michael tries to argue, his nervousness replaces his words with stutters that can't be understood, and Theo interrupts him. ''Unless you tell me where that photograph was taken, you're no use for me, which means you can _bugger_ _off_.''

About twenty minutes later, Theodore is roaming around the bar where he was told that Astoria's photo was taken, glancing at its doors every few seconds. It's quite a small place that has a printed sign hanging above its double doors. Michael told him it's one of the only places for wizards inside of Muggle London. Even though he already searched the pub earlier this evening when he was still following Michael, he takes another look inside. Theo exits the pub, leaning against the side of the building to collect his thought and decide what to do next. Knowing he has no news of Astoria's whereabouts, his mind is filled with images of Daphne's disappointed expression.

In the last few days, it hurt him to see how nervous and restless Daphne seemed. Even though they don't always get along, she has been worried about her younger sister from the moment she realized she was missing. Dragging his hand down his face, Theo tells himself that at least he's trying to help the Greengrasses, and tries to push away his negative thoughts.

A familiar voice breaks him from his thoughts. ''Theo? What are you doing here?''

Suddenly, Astoria is standing in front of him, looking both confused and worried. The waves of her wavy dark brown hair are messy, the black makeup around her eyes is heavier than usual, and her breath smells strongly of alcohol. She takes a step towards him and stumbles, but he hurries to put his hands on her shoulder to steady her.

''I'm here for you, Tori,'' he says. Seeing her like this raises an unexpected annoyance inside of him.

Although she is obviously drunk, he catches the sadness that washes over her. ''The war, it… It messed me up. Those Death Eaters in our house, acting like they own the place..."

''It's safe there now, I promise,'' he assures her, his voice and expression softer.

Her eyes fill with tears that shine in the darkness of the night. He never paid attention to their small age gap, but all of the sudden, she looks like a scared little girl to him. ''I don't want to remember it. I don't want to be bad.''

Theo grew up as the son of a known Death Eater and it made him used to people automatically assuming he is no different than his father. Things are different with the Greengrass family, who never really joined the Dark Lord's side, and are more known for having money than anything else. Even though he doesn't like to think about it, Theo doesn't like being considered a villain, and that makes his heart go out to Astoria.

''I'm here for you, all right?'' He repeats the words and rubs her shoulders. ''Your family is here for you too, they have been so worried. Let me take you home.''

At first, she stays quiet, and he fears that she'll argue with him. But then, she nods quietly, biting her lower lip.

He looks her over and asks, ''Do you have your wand?"

She nods again.

Before he takes her back home, he wraps her in a tight hug. As she hugs him back, he silently scolds her for the last week. At the same time, he feels a great relief to finally have her with him.

Several minutes later, Astoria is lying unconscious on a couch at home, her skin pale and the makeup under her eyes slightly smudged. The three members of her family rush down the grand flight of stairs, wearing different expressions. None of them look angry. Her parents crouch next to her, giving Astoria their full attention even though she isn't awake.

Daphne stays close to Theo, as if she doesn't want to overwhelm her sister with too much attention. Like Theo, the blonde stays quiet and watches her family. He steals a glance at Daphne, whose is so relief that there's a hint of a smile playing on her lips. Her smile makes him happy. The feeling increases as she slips her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze.

* * *

It's the early hours of the afternoon when Theo is making his way through his house, heading towards the front door. He recently woke from the good he had longed for during his search for Astoria. With his father locked up in Azkaban, the house is empty and cold. Today is one of the days when it bothers him. He is used to being alone, but it doesn't mean that he likes it.

The number of people who will knock on his door can be counted on one hand. Which is why when he opens the door and sees Daphne on its other side, he isn't very surprised. She is holding a bag with two hands, and he frowns at the sight of it.

''Morning,'' he says as his gaze meets her hazel eyes. ''I'm hoping that's breakfast.''

Smiling, Daphne rolls her eyes and shakes her head. It's the first time he sees her smile in a while, and the sight fills his stomach with butterflies.

''It isn't, but I think you'll still like what's inside,'' she replies.

He narrows his eyes in suspicion. ''What _is_ inside?''

''Money,'' she says simply. Noticing Theo's confusion, she explains, ''The money that was promised to the person who helped find Astoria. You found her and brought her home, therefor it's yours.''

Realization causes the wizard to widen his eyes. He looks at Daphne, expecting her to laugh and say she is joking with him, but she does no such thing. Instead, she continues to smile at him. ''I can't take it. There's a lot of money in there, I know it for a fact. Tori is my friend, you're my…'' He pauses, not sure if he should call the girl in front of him his friend. Of course, they _are_ friends, but he wants more than that. ''And, most importantly, it's not why I helped,'' he finishes lamely.

The smile slightly fades from Daphne's face, replaced by a serious expression as she says, ''I know that, but my parents insist. After all, you've done more for this family when we needed help than anyone else, and that's a good enough reason to take it.''

Her words make sense; he was the person to bring her sister home and her parents are simply trying to be fair, though he still hesitates. Theo snaps out of his thoughts when Daphne takes a step closer to him.

''I've already told you this yesterday, but thank you again for everything. You were there for both Astoria and me, and it means so much,'' she tells him softly. Suddenly, she puts her hand under his chin, rises on the tip of her toes and kisses his cheek.

The short touch of her lips on his skin makes him close his eyes as he cherishes the moment. His hand wraps around Daphne's waist, holding her close to him, their faces inches apart. Theo knows he has been waiting for this very moment to break the walls of friendship between them.

The one to make the final leap is Daphne, who uses her grip on his chin to close the gap between them. Theo kisses her softly, tenderly, hoping to show Daphne how he much he cares for her with just this kiss. . When they pull away, they both smile.

He can't help but joke and say, ''I hope you don't think that will make me take the money, because my answer is still no.''

Chuckling, she takes a step back and sighs. ''You really aren't going to take it, are you? Well, I think they'll drop the idea of paying you in a day or two.''

''Is Tori better?'' he asks, the younger girl popping into his mind. He hopes for a positive answer.

Daphne's smile almost completely disappears as she nods. ''I think so. I think... We weren't the only ones who lost her. She lost herself too. Now at least she's home and she does seem better, less sad,'' the blonde says and pushes a lock of hair behind her ear, her gaze momentarily dropping to the floor.

''You're be leaving now?'' Theo asks, noticing her body language.

''I'll be back,'' she assures him with a shy smile.

Although Daphne seems to be fine, he moves closer to her and presses a kiss to her forehead. They gaze at each other for a few seconds longer, before she gives Theo one last smile and Apparates. He is left alone to stare at the green hills that can be seen from his house. He feels good—not happy, but as close as he can get to it for now— and hopes that things will continue to look up. Smiling, he thinks of the shy smile Daphne had given just before she left. Yes, things were definitely looking up.


End file.
